and prevent the initiative from falling back to the wayside,
project managers had to stay focused on their destination.

“;is was the ;rst metro project in Peru,” says José
Zárate, executive director of the autonomous authority of
the electric mass transportation system of Lima and Callao of Peru’s Ministry of Transport and Communications.

“;e learning curve was very steep.”

TRAILBLAZERS

;e initial stage of construction on Line 1 bene;ted from
groundwork laid in the 1990s. For example, the fact that the government still
owned property rights along the train’s proposed path minimized con;ict with
the community. ;e team executed the US$519 million project segment over
two years, and phase one was completed in 2011.

Phase two, on the other hand, entered uncharted territory. ;e transportation
ministry and its construction partners at Brazil’s Odebrecht had to create a new
trail through crowded residential communities, negotiating with stakeholders
each step of the way.

“We are talking about di;erent municipalities here, with their own mayors,
their own councils, their own delegates in the Lima government,” Mr. Nostre
says. “So as we were working, we had to talk to the government in each area
about their needs, about their expectations for the work, and enlist their help.”
One of the project’s biggest challenges revolved around relocating 50 families
whose homes were in the train’s projected path, Mr. Nostre says. To stay on the
initiative’s three-year schedule, the team had to clear the houses before construction advanced to that area. With the clock ticking, the Lima government
agreed to build a residential condominium near the site that provided long-term
housing for each family displaced due to construction. Each family was interviewed about their housing needs, and the condominiums were built based on
their feedback, Mr. Nostre says.

1986: Government breaks ground on
the Lima Metro.

1990: Construction slows amid an
economic and political crisis that
forces President Alan García out
of office.

2009: Lima Metro is resurrected
three years after García returned
to power. Planning begins for the
construction of additional lines.

Construction begins on the first
phase of Line 1, which extends the
original line to the city center.

2011: Construction begins on the
second phase of Line 1, which
extends Line 1 from central Lima
to its northern neighborhoods.

2012: In January, trains begin running
on the first phase of Line 1.

2014: In July, service begins on the
second phase of Line 1.

Extended Service

Construction of the
second phase of Line 1 cut
through one of Lima’s most
populated neighborhoods.